Impact of Prolonged Caregiving Responsibilities on CPF Retirement Adequacy and Additional Measures to Mitigate Losses in Retirement Savings

Mr Gabriel Lam asked the Acting Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Ministry has assessed the impact of prolonged caregiving responsibilities for elderly or infirm family members on caregivers' CPF retirement adequacy, particularly where caregivers reduce their working hours or leave the workforce; and (b) whether additional measures are needed to mitigate the resulting loss in retirement savings.

Ms Jasmin Lau: We are unable to quantify the impact of prolonged caregiving responsibilities on caregivers' Central Provident Fund (CPF) savings, as we do not track the duration and extent of employment adjustments attributable to caregiving, which are personal family arrangements.

We support caregivers to remain in or return to work if they wish to do so. Doing so will enable them to earn income and increase their CPF savings for retirement. There are employment facilitation and reskilling measures to support caregivers who are ready to re-enter the workforce. We also support working caregivers in managing work and caregiving commitments by setting guidelines on flexible work arrangements, which are offered by around seven in 10 firms.

Working family members of caregivers can top up the caregivers' CPF savings if they wish to do so. Eligible caregivers can also benefit from Government schemes, such as the Workfare Income Supplement, Silver Support Scheme and Matched Retirement Savings Scheme, as well as the Budget 2026 CPF Top-Up.